The Heart of Detroit: Unstoppable Futures by Brontae

The Heart of Detroit: Unstoppable Futures by Brontae - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

The lessons we learn not only impact our education, but can affect our view of our self and the world around us. The positive and influential guidance of one can change a lifetime for another. The most important lesson I have learned from a teacher did not benefit my high school education, but rather my outlook on life, self-esteem, and aspirations for the future. Growing up in a domestically violent household, I believed that silence was a virtue. My self-esteem was no bigger than the dreams I set out to pursue. I grew up believing that things were only possible if others believed they were. The most important lesson I learned from a teacher was that, regardless of who you are, you can do anything you set your mind to.

From the time I could hold a pencil in my hand, I loved to draw. Art was my passion and it was a way for me to express my inner emotions. Disconnected from people and society, I felt lost, unable to determine which pathway would lead me to a successful and happy future. My shyness became a burden as I struggled to overcome my adversity in entangled mess of it all. Although art left a shining light in the darkness of my struggles, it could not overpower my demons: my self-induced self-esteem. Even when all hope had seemed to be lost, a moment arrived that changed my life forever.

My high school career has been one of the most influential and inspiring points in my lifetime. The opportunities I have been given and the people who have guided me along the way have changed my perspective of my future and have provided me with goals that will allow me to change the future for others around the world. As a once shy and timid individual I have watched myself grow into a young woman who faces challenges head on, traveling to foreign countries on a foreign exchange program, volunteering at various community organizations, joining several varsity sports teams and school clubs, and participating in several foreign and local internship programs. Being given the opportunity to work with some of the most amazing teachers in the world has provided me with a new beginning. It has inspired me to get involved in my community and to use my talents and skills to my advantage. Because of the opportunities I have been given, I have been inspired to pursue a degree in Product Design at one of the top art and design schools in the country: The College for Creative Studies of Detroit, Michigan.

Living out more than half of my life in a single parent-household, I could not foresee the future. My mother struggled to pay the bills, taking on several part-time jobs in order to support her two growing kids. For me, the opportunities I have been given and the future I have in my sight are things I never thought I would have had or would have ever accomplished. Sitting here today as graduated class valedictorian of the class of 2016, I feel accomplished knowing that I will one day be able to influence someone else in the same way my teachers once influenced me. I will be given the opportunity to show others that they can overcome adversity and that it is possible to do anything as long as put you heart into everything you do. They have taught me that life comes with its ups and downs, but what is most important is that you use these experiences to your advantage. Take each experience, good or bad, as a new lesson learned and use it to help guide your future and others’. I have learned that it is okay to make mistakes, but that the most important thing to do with those mistakes is turn them into something positive.

This fall, I plan to study Product Design at the College for Creative Studies pursuing a minor in Advertising Design and a Business Concentration. In the future, I hope to use my degrees to help inspire and assist others in creating a better future for themselves, helping those in both my hometown and all around the world. I hope to establish a business in my local Detroit area in order to inspire growth within the community and supply jobs and stability to those facing homelessness, poverty, and adversity. I plan to use my degree to help inspire the youth to give back to their communities and to pursue their dreams, regardless of the adversity they face. I want to inspire others to want to be that person who changes someone else's life for the better. Looking back on the person I once was, I constantly wonder what would have happened if I had not chosen to attend a different high school and if those teachers had never taught me the valuable lessons I hold dear to me to this day. The impact my teachers have had on me will have forever impacted the type of individual I am and have shown me my true capabilities. If there is one major lesson a teacher has taught me, it would be that it isn't about what you have on the outside, but the heart and soul you have on the inside that makes you unstoppable.